Saturday, November 15, 2014

Rob has been working non-stop to finish the exterior of his Solargon 20-4 before winter sets in.

If you look closely you can see two other cabins in this remote Solargon retreat.

Rob's Solargon is located at an elevation of 8,300 ft. in the
foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains in Colorado. This dwelling is 311 sq. ft. with kitchen, bath, south facing living area and bed with storage below. This four sided roof system was part of his original design however the same building is also available with an eight sided roof system.
The interior is ready for sheet rock with the exterior primed, ready for caulk and paint when the snow melts in the spring.Link to floor plan.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

This is the only picture I have of a new Solargon 20-4 project somewhere in Colorado. I expect to get some more shots soon. Solargon creator Rob Galloway has finally broke ground on this long awaited project to build his original vision of his small octagonal home. The Solargon 20-4 with it's distinctive roof, sets it apart from your typical yurt with super insulation, bath, kitchen, living area, raised bed with storage below, solar power and running water from a nearby creek. I will update as the project progresses. To see another Solargon 20-4 click here.

As promised here are some new shots of the Solargon 20-4 with siding complete.Glass block was used for the bath and in the kitchen below the upper cabinets.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

We have had requests for pictures of Solargon 30 vestibules and links, so here are some views of past projects. Above shows a brook passing under the link from an existing home to a new Solargon addition.

Carrick and Sarah's Solargon has a 12'x12' add-on to accommodate the passive solar hot water storage which heats the building in colder months.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

"At the end of the
first year, we have experienced our awesome 700 sq ft Solargon in all four
seasons. It has equaled and/or surpassed our expectations for comfort and
function! We are so pleased!

In winter, we use a
small gas log fireplace for heat, and in summer, a small European mini-split
for cool air. We also have two ceiling fans we can use in any season depending
on the need.

Our utility bills
have remained minimal, which we expected and hoped for!

Even with extended
sub-zero days we experienced this past winter, the gas log heater cycled very
infrequently, maintaining the constant 70 degrees we set. In fact, with our
stone flooring, the passive solar heat during the daytime increased our indoor temperature 2 degrees, and the heater was rarely
needed at all! Very nice!

Our windows are
screened, so we enjoyed the cooler spring and fall days with windows wide open
and a fresh breeze blowing through!

An added bonus we
hadn’t considered was how quiet our little space is! We hear very little of any
of the goings-on outside when windows and doors are closed. This makes for peaceful
days and quiet evenings.

All considered, we
are unable to think of any downsides at all to life in a Solargon!! We are forever
grateful to Sherri & Doug and all who made this lifestyle possible for us!"

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Hello all, I recently received this testimonial from one of our Solargon 30 owners in northern Colorado.

Solar Hot Water Shed

"Our Solargon has been performing REALLY WELL.
Let's put it this way - the plumbing in the Solargon is filled with
water. I have never had to drain the water for fear of freezing, even when
we were in India for 6 months last year, because the Solargon doesn't freeze
inside. The system operates automatically and independently. The
solar water pump has been great, completely reliable. Also the solar power
system (P.V. is probably overkill for the structure, so that we only use about 10% of
the available battery power when we run lights, vacuum cleaner and a
refrigerator overnight."

"We
have solar hot water heating a 175 gallon storage tank. This heat is used
for hot water when we are there, and when we are not there it is used for the
two radiators we installed. It's enough to keep the interior from freezing even
in -30F weather. The passive solar input to the structure through the
south-facing windows also heats the interior on the many sunny days, and when
summer hot water production reaches the high temperature limit on the solar hot
water system, the excess hot water is pumped through 500 feet of PEX tubing
under the floor."

Where the antelope play....

"The interior temperature of the
cabin at the thermostat never goes below 45°F, to my knowledge (I set it at
45°F when we leave). This is entirely off-grid and with NO propane heating of
any kind, purely solar. We installed insulated window shades that cut the heat
loss from the non-south-facing windows, and better sealing of the doors has
helped as well."

"We have a 250 gallon propane tank
that provides propane to the stove and to the tank less water heater that backs
up the solar hot water. Since we filled that tank to 80% in 2010 (200
gallons), we have used ... 5 gallons. We're down to 78% from 80%."

" We cook on the wood stove when possible, and the solar hot water has almost
always been hot enough to never need the propane backup.

What can I say? It works as
near to perfectly as makes little difference."

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Welcome to Solargon Homes.Solargon cabins and homeswere the natural development of refinement and timing. Our designs reflect the trend in downsizing and energy efficient building. Start small and add as you need, or combine our building component sizes to build the living space that fits your needs. Using ultra efficient and super strong polyurethane SIPs walls, roof and floor panels, Solargon has created uniquely designed living spaces that result in optimum living comfort and significant energy savings with the most efficient building systems available. As building codes mandate higher standards for compliance, the cost of conventional building has risen to make SIPs competitive with big advantages over "stick built" homes.Our homes are bright and open inviting light in with improved airflow. "An octagonal house is cheaper to build, allows for additional living space, receives more natural light, is easier to heat, and remains cooler in the summer. These benefits all derive from the geometry of an octagon: the shape encloses space efficiently, minimizing external surface area and consequently heat loss and gain, building costs etc." Orson Squire Fowler 1850Solargon living spaces are the exterior SIPs envelope or SIPs panels. Because of the many interior and exterior treatment options such as siding, roofing, windows, flooring, etc. we offer the shell , super structures, connectors, venting skylight and you choose what finishing to complete the living space. Our cabin assembles in hours and the larger Solargon 30 can be assembled in as little as two days.